Direct synthesis of dispersed polymer silicate nanocomposites has been carried out by living polymerization of styrene using a silicate anchored to 2,2,6,6 tetramethylpiperidine alkoxyamine, Weimer, M. W., et al, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 121, 1615-1616 (1999). This reaction has limitations since the initiator there is not efficient enough to polymerize methacrylates with reasonable conversion rates at acceptable temperatures.
Muhlebach et al WO 2004/000809A1 indicates that it improves upon the method described in the above paragraph to effectively produce dispersed polymer silicate nanocomposites where the polymer is obtained from acrylates or methacrylates or styrene by using certain different alkoxyamines anchored to natural or synthetic clay by a cationic anchor group. Examples of the anchoring compounds are set forth at pages 34 and 35 of WO 2004/000809A1.
The process described in WO 2004/000809A1 has the disadvantages that the anchoring compounds are all very complicated and the polymerizations are carried out in the working example of WO 2004/000809A1 at 140° C.